The present invention relates to an improved device and system for hand-forming decorative bows on packages. In particular, the invention involves the production in situ of decorative bows made from lengths of ribbon material and to the provision of novel bow pins for forming the bows and fastening them to gift boxes or other structures made from similar materials by hand.
Decorative bows can be purchased pre-made or consumers can create the bow themselves. However, making bows by hand is extremely difficult for the average consumer. Great dexterity is required to both manipulate the ribbon material into the form of a bow and then to somehow secure the bow so that it does not unravel. As a result, the tendency is to buy pre-made bows even though they are expensive and are generally sold without matching ribbon. Additionally, many consumers would prefer to create their own bows if doing so were not prohibitively difficult. A self-made bow leaves room for creativity and thus is more fulfilling than using pre-made bows.
Prior art decorative bows are generally machine-manufactured. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,933,223 and 3,112,240 to Kravig disclose mass production machinery for prefabricating bows using special pins. The Kravig pins are similar in general appearance to the pin of the present invention. However, there is a basic difference. The Kravig pin is designed for machine application, whereas the pin of the instant invention is designed for hand application. This is significant because of the difficulty of pressing a pin through ribbon material, especially multiple layers of ribbon material in the form of a bow.
The Kravig patent specifications are silent as to the dimensions of the pin, but as illustrated in the drawings the pin appears to be unsuitable for hand application because of the large angle of taper of the point. Hence, a high degree of force would be required to press the pin through the ribbon material. The amount of force required for insertion of the Kravig pin is not a problem, as it is intended for machine application where resistance to penetration is not a limiting factor.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved bow pin and bow-pin system for the creation of decorative bows by hand without the use of complicated machinery.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved bow pin which will enable the user to create bows from ribbon and attach the bows to a package or other structure with minimal insertion force.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bow pin and bow-pin system that will enable the user to create elegant bows at a fraction of the cost of conventional prefabricated bows.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bow pin and bow-pin system that will enable the user to create elegant bows from the same strip ribbon material used to tie packages.